I have never been able to wear walking sneakers of any kind. The only time of sneaker I can wear without pain is a New Balance X trainer style. Used to wear Nike and Reebok cross trainers but they changed. I once bought a pair of walking sneakers for a trip to Disneyland. Wore them for 3 hours the first evening and the pain started at the ankle, then the knee and finally the hip. I wore sandals for the rest of the weekend because I couldn't even stand in those shoes without pain. It took me a month to fully recover. So I can see how that women could have hip fractures if she has brittle bones. But I think suing is insane. If something hurts then stop using it fool. I really wear sneakers. I wear sport sandals and flip flops in the summer and boots in the winter. Sketchers seem to be made for flat feet. I never found a pair that offered any support at all for my high arch.

Sorry I did not read all of the replies, but wanted to share my experience with planter. I went to my bone doctor with this and he said he had it in both feet. He recommended Merrills (mesh slides) shoes. He told me he would not be working on concrete floors if it were not for those shoes and shooting up occasionally. LOL I bought a pair and they do help but what helped the most was the shot in my heel. It has not hurt since I received the injection and it's been at least 3 years. He said it would probably last the rest of my life. The shot did not work in my knee but has been a miracle on my heel. You can buy these shoes at Dillards and some of the specialty shoes stores. The last time I saw him he told me I could get the shoes in colors online at Herringtons. I posted the URL below and the shoes he recommended are the mesh air slides. Those are made differently than the rest of the Merrills. I bought lilac, the green shown in the photo, lite blue and the Palamino at 20% off but that was a long time ago. They are all I wear. I think walking on concrete at the mall is what caused my planter. Here is a link that might be useful: Merrills

I thought I'd drop back in and post an update re: my foot issues & quest for sandals. The custom orthotic inserts I had made have been a bust so far. IMO, they are far to aggressive / rigid. I feel like I'm walking over a golf ball in my shoe.... imagine a teeter-totter.... that's what it feels like, my foot is rolling up and over. Hard to explain. I'm planning to go back to see if they can be adjusted but between my vacation schedule and the pedorthist's, I don't have an appointment until next Monday. Because I've been unsuccessful so far with the custom orthotics I did not buy the pair of sandals that we talked about at the beginning of the thread. I've ordered / bought 7 pairs of sandals. I'm having great luck with the Vionic sandals (3 pairs) which, if anyone is wondering, I find run very large. I wear a 1/2 size to a full size smaller than usual in the Vionics. All three are very casual, basically an updated structured flip-flop. I have one pair of Spenco that I like but they're not as comfortable as the Vionics for me. Not quite enough support. I also find the pair I ordered very, very casual looking, more so than the Vionics. I've mainly been wearing the Spencos around the house and out in the yard with the dog, etc. I'd wear them to the beach. They seem to be okay for that but I don't think I could wear them to walk any distance. (edited to add: I also find the Spenco pair I bought run a bit small). I'm also having good luck with this pair of Naot sandals. I ordered a pair from Walking Cradles that I sent back - I found them unattractive and awkward and they were too small. I also bought a pair of Wolky sandals, a brand I had never heard tell of before. They were recommended to me by a clerk in a shoe store. I'm a bit torn on these ones. I like them, and I find them comfortable to walk in as far as my particular foot issue goes. But it seems by feet are also swelling a bit, from walking a lot and the heat I suppose, and the strap across the top of my foot digs in after a bit. The straps are adjustable but even at their loosest they end up too tight. I'm hoping they'll stretch a bit with wear. In hindsight, I wish I had tried them on in a 1/2 size or even a size bigger. The orthotic insoles that are sold at Costco have also been recommended to me by several people so I may try them in my sneakers. I'm still working to find something to wear specifically for walking - - I often walk the dog 2 - 5 km and I still don't have anything that is great for that. At least with Costco I can return them if they don't work out. I've also been going to massage and physio, working to strengthen by foot. All in all, it hasn't been too bad so long as I'm careful regarding my footwear. Some days I even manage to forget about it. :)

natesg, the advice you've been given is right on. If you keep walking and start doing the chair exercises, you will gradually notice your condition improving. For those with no underlying health issues, it's never too late to start exercising and getting in shape. If you walked 100 steps yesterday, make it your goal to walk 110 steps today. Your quality of life will be vastly improved so don't allow yourself to get discouraged and give up. Maybe it would help keep you motivated if you had a walking partner to cheer you on. Would your husband walk with you? Or, do you have a dog that you could take for walks? I've never been much of an athlete, but over the years, I've done some form of exercise, often halfheartedly, with gaps of no exercise in between. Fortunately, I've always liked to walk. A few years ago, I noticed that I was losing range of motion in my arms and shoulders and started doing gentle yoga for more flexibility. It has helped me so much. I'm more flexible and bendy, my muscle tone has improved and I've regained strength as well. It has really helped me get function back in my knee after breaking it almost two years ago. Recently, I started doing some light weight training to further tone and strengthen my arms. I'm going to look into the pilates reformer; I'm a firm believer in use it or lose it when it comes to staying fit as we age. Best of luck to all of us who are trying to stay fit or get in shape as we get older!